Some Fantasy owners live and die on the waiver wire, swapping out three or four players every week hoping they can hit on one or two impact players at a low cost. Others tend to be more patient with their rosters, moving only when they are sure the player coming in will be an upgrade.
Neither approach is any better or worse, necessarily, but everyone needs to hit the waiver wire at some point to bolster their roster. Let's take a look at the most-added players in CBSSports.com leagues over the last week, to see who might be worth your time, and who is going to waste away on your bench before the next hot thing comes available.
Steven Adams, Thunder
(59 percent owned; +26 percent)
The Thunder were expecting to get solid contributions from Adams this season, but he has been pressed into a larger role than expected of late thanks to Serge Ibaka's injury. While Enes Kanter has been able to shoulder some of the lost scoring load from the absences of Ibaka and Kevin Durant, Adams has had to step in and hold down the fort on defense, and he has done an admirable job so far. He is averaging 9.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game over the last 10, and only foul trouble has kept him from playing an even larger role. Adams is literally getting as many minutes as he can handle, topping 30 in five straight, and should be a solid starting option in all formats as long as Ibaka is out.
Ish Smith, 76ers
(43 percent owned; +25 percent)
The other member of the 76ers' point guard timeshare was the one who got all of the hype, but Smith has actually been the more productive of the two, averaging 25.2 Fantasy points per game since the All-Star game. He has been even better of late, putting up 27.6 over the last five games, despite playing just 26.6 minutes. Isaiah Canaan should get more minutes and shots than Smith, who remains a very limited scorer, but Smith is probably the best playmaker on the team, so those valuable assists should continue to flow in. I wouldn't feel great about him as anything more than a fourth guard, but Smith is worth adding if you need that boost, though the 76ers do have a league-low four games after Week 23, so keep that in mind.
Anthony Morrow, Thunder
(24 percent owned; +19 percent)
Kevin Durant's foot injury has opened up opportunities for role players to step up throughout the season, and Morrow is finally doing it. He shot just 40.8 percent from the field and averaged 11.7 points per game in Durant's absence in November, leaving him on the fringes of Fantasy relevance. Durant's latest setback has given Morrow yet another opportunity, and this time he is actually taking advantage of it, shooting 51.0 percent from the field over the last 10 games while averaging 14.3 points per game. He doesn't have much appeal in H2H scoring leagues with 18.2 Fantasy points per game in that time, but his 3.3 3-pointers should open some eyes in category-based formats, because he can sustain relevance even if he cools off a little.
Bojan Bogdanovic, Nets
(24 percent owned; +16 percent)
A hot start got Bogdanovich a big role for the Nets early in the season, but he went cold and largely fell out of the rotation, averaging fewer than 22 minutes per game in both December and January after getting 30-plus in November. He is back at that level over the last five games, during which time he is averaging 15.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 3-pointers in 33.4 minutes per game. Again, the volume isn't quite there for him to make a big impact in H2H scoring leagues, but he is doing a bit more there than Morrow at least. If I had to add just one, it would be Bogdanovic, given how much more Morrow depends on his hot shooting to remain relevant.
Zaza Pachulia, Bucks
(39 percent owned; +14 percent)
Jason Kidd's rotations have settled down a bit around the perimeter, but he is still constantly tinkering in the frontcourt, which makes it awfully tough to rely on Pachulia. However, Pachulia has proved that he can be a solid all-around contributor when consistent minutes are to be found, and he is getting them now. He is averaging 13.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game over the last five, and though a massive 22-21-7 game skews things a bit, he still has at least 20-plus Fantasy points in each of the other four games as well. Pachulia has more value in category-based formats thanks to his excellent free-throw shooting and great passing at the center position, but he can be a No. 2 center in all formats as long as the minutes are there.
